Manchester Residents Say Cell Tower Would Cut Property Values

As part of the Connecticut Siting Council's consideration of a proposed cell phone tower off Lydall Street, a balloon was raised Tuesday afternoon to simulate the height of the 104-foot structure.

As part of the Connecticut Siting Council's consideration of a proposed cell phone tower off Lydall Street, a balloon was raised Tuesday afternoon to simulate the height of the 104-foot structure. (Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant)

The hearing before the Connecticut Siting Council centered on a proposed 104-foot tower to be located on open land at 701 Lydall St. The nearest home on Deer Run Trail would be 452 feet from the antenna-topped monopole, but residents said that's still too close for such an imposing structure. Speakers said such towers cut into property values as much as 20 percent.

"The devaluation, it's devastating to me," said Maureen Couvares of Deer Run Trail.

Kyle Wentworth, of Knollwood Road, said that when he was house-hunting three years ago, any property near a cell tower was "an immediate no-sale." Wentworth and other speakers also said they worried about health risks, although the federal government has found no evidence that cell towers harm the general public.

The tower would serve AT&T and possibly other wireless communication providers. Applicants say the structure would boost what is now poor service in that area of Manchester and in Vernon and Bolton.

Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant

Jesse Leavenworth/The Hartford Courant

The lone speaker in favor of the proposed tower was James Stevenson of Chatham Drive. Stevenson, who also is chairman of the local zoning board of appeals, said that he has cellphones with service from AT&T and Verizon and that reception is poor to nonexistent.

It's also a public safety issue, Stevenson said, since some residents have no land phone lines and rely on cellphones for all communication. Those people, he said, are being denied 911 service in the area.

Some speakers who opposed the tower site acknowledged that wireless service in the area is poor, but they said alternative sites should be considered. One nearby area mentioned was Risley Park, the 155-acre parcel owned by the Manchester Land Conservation Trust.

But trust President Malcolm Barlow said in a phone interview after the hearing that as far as he's concerned, the trust will not compete with Gerry Reid, the Lydall Street farmer who would lease the tower site. Reid is a friend of the trust, providing labor and equipment to maintain the organization's land, Barlow said.